Labor Day Washout On Miami Beach

MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) – For many people, Labor Day is the symbolic end of summer meant to be spent at the beach, at a picnic, or at a barbecue enjoying a holiday with family and friends.

That’s not the case this year in year in South Florida thanks to Tropical Storm Gordon.

Rain bands from the system began to make their way to Miami-Dade and Broward over the weekend and Monday, when the storm formed over the Upper Keys, torrential downpours and gusty winds kept most people in their homes.

On Miami Beach, Tropical Storm Gordon was the party pooper of the holiday weekend. Dark skies gave way to breezy torrential rain that dampened the mood in the normally “party on” city.

“Well I have been here before without all of this, I mean it was different, it was a sight to see,” said Denise Price who was visiting. “This is something I have never been in before.”

“Yesterday we went driving and we saw the gusty wind and the rain falling and we were like ‘okay, this is not what we expected’, it was completely different from our expectations for this weekend,” said tourist Kandarp Nyati.

Nyati said there’s a definite difference pre-Gordon versus post-Gordon on the beach.

“The last couple of nights we’ve seen that its a party place with everybody out in the sun and then suddenly it’s completely dead, it’s two different atmospheres for sure,” he said.

South Florida could see anywhere from 2 to 4 inches from Gordon with isolated higher amounts. Just before noon, Miami Beach logged 1.42 inches of rain.

The system’s gusty have created rough surf and dangerous conditions for boaters and beachgoers. A Small Craft Advisory is in effect. There is a high risk of rip currents so swimming is not recommended.

The worst of the weather is moving through and by late Monday afternoon we may see a slight improvement as the center of Gordon begins to push away into the Gulf of Mexico.